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ELC Doggy Paddler
by northernlovely
I never thought I would get the opportunity to review my daughter's Doggy Paddler for DooYoo but here it is and here we go :)
**What is it?**
The doggy paddler is a typical plastic wind up and paddle / splash bath toy, aimed at toddlers and young children. It's also available in Frog and Duck versions at the same ... price.
**Price and Availability**
DooYoo states £4 but I paid £2 so I think that's the correct price. You can buy it in Early Learning Centre and Mothercare branches (the Mothercares which have an Early Learning Centre built into them such as for example the Ancoats Street branch in Manchester centre) and online at their respective websites (a delivery fee applies).
**Looks**
The dog is a lovely vibrant yellow with black spots and ears, and he is wearing cute green swimming trunks! Underneath the dog there is a yellow winder to wind up his mechanism. His arms are designed like paddles as they are what makes him 'go'.
**Use**
It's obviously really easy, all you do is wind up the doggy, pop him on the water's surface and let go and away he goes! This usually has my 19 month old daughter in absolute hysterics and she often grabs him out of the water before the mechanism has run out and his arms are still flailing madly (but it's perfectly safe and she finds that even more hilarious!)
The toy has lasted since last Christmas and it's still used, and there's no type of overwinding problems or rust / moulding and so on.
**Recommend?**
Yes, absolutely! It's a pocket money priced toy and a brilliant stocking filler (which is what we used it for). It's lasted well and it's incredibly cute. It'd make a nice gift too as often kids end up with loads of toys but less bath toys, so it's nice to give something different. Yes, overall I give this 5 stars out of 5 because it's a lovely little toy for the money and it's sure to give lots of fun to it's little owner.
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Froggy Paddler
by sympatic
This was bought for my daughter as a birthday present and although it is supposed to be for children over the age of 12 months you need to be aware that they will need help with this toy as the winder is quite stiff and beyond her ability to operate. It was purchased from ELC however I have no idea what it cost, I cannot imagine it was ... more than £8 given that it is plastic.
It is a bath time play toy which has limited appeal, at least it did for my daughter, she liked to watch in swim or flail about for a bit but it did not hold her interest for very long. She is much more attracted to those toys which firstly she can operate and especially ones where she can pour and move water about.
It is about the length of a small ruler I reckon and about two thirds the length across, it is easy to grip with little hands because of the legs and it is nicely designed with some bright colours, no sharp edges and a smiling face, the frog swims on its back with the legs kicking, there is a yellow knob on the back to wind it up. You have to maintain the tension in the winding mechanism as you turn it otherwise the legs start to move, it swims for a decent enough time however it is not so easy to wind with wet hands and my daughter has no luck at all which is one of the reasons why I think that this toy will have limited appeal for most children.
I see little benefit from this toy in terms of it being able to develop a childs learning, possibly motor skills to a certain degree but there are better toys that will do that. It is nice enough to look at but nothing special. It is not an expensive toy, at least I assume not, and therefore it does make a nice enough novelty toy but nothing special.
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ELC Boil and Pour Kettle
by Coffeetiere
This ELC kettle was a present to my daughter I'm her grandparents for her fourth birthday. It's a rather cute little kettle which was perfect at the time as my daughter was very into kitchen play. Currently however at five she seems a little less interested in pretend kitchen play, however my son who is two and a half likes to play ... with this kettle.
It's very realistic and can be filled up with water. There are measurements showing 1-4 cups on the side of the body of the kettle which is a blue transparent plastic so it possible to see where the water is filled up to. We don't do water play that often as it is very messy, but I have let my children occasionally play with water in the kettle and pretend to make cups of tea with a plastic tea set we also have. The lid of the kettle lifts up so water can be poured in or so the kettle can be filled from the taps in the sink.
The best thing about this kettle is it makes a very realistic boiling noise when the button pushed on, until it is turned off again. My kids love this sound. It also has a red light which comes on when the kettle is turned on, just like the real thing!
As mentioned, our kettle is all blue, not blue and green like the one in the picture. A friend's daughter also has one of these early learning kettles and theirs is red, blue and yellow so I guess they must be available in a variety of different colours.
I am sure the box the kettle came in recommended this toy was suitable for 36 months and upwards, however I would say it's more than suitable for a two year old. There aren't any small parts which come off, it's handle is easy to hold and the kettle is very light without water in.
The kettle takes two AA batteries which are placed in at the base of the kettle. You will need a little screwdriver to open up the section for the batteries, which is easy to do and not a problem as the batteries last a long time.
I think the kettle costs around £10 and was a nice birthday gift for my daughter from her grandparents. It's not played with an awful lot, but does make regular appearances when my children are going through a "kitchen" phase as my son is now. I'll give it 5/5 as its durable, looks good and is very realistic for a toy.
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